Painting Light & Color: A Mindful Approach (Online Course) Winter 2026 w/ Michael Ryan

March 10 to March 31 (Tuesdays), 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM, Eastern Time

**All sessions are live and will be recorded, students do not have to be present. All recordings will be available to students for 3 months after the final session, after 3 months the recording will be deleted.

Please check your email spam/junk folder for your Zoom invite. Our business hours are 10:00 AM through 5:00 PM. All course information and email correspondence will be sent during business hours. If students purchase a course, workshop, demo or recording outside business hours or during the weekend the course information or recording will be sent the following business day.

DEMO: https://youtu.be/FlTbUXr9beY

Course Description

In my long career as a painter of color and light with a particular love of the Post Impressionist and Fauves, I’ve observed that in addition to paint, canvas and charcoal, an essential tool in any artists studio is a mind that is attentive, intuitive and focused in the present moment.

Using examples of my own paintings and those of artists such as Bonnard, Matisse and Diebenkorn, I will show and discuss in live painting demonstrations how to use color and understand color relationships as well as introducing techniques to incorporate mindfulness into your own painting discipline.

Course Outline

Week 1 -

Keynote presentation of painters and paintings that will and inspire and relate to the days session.

Recorded demo:

Discussion and demonstration of how to prepare yourself for a painting session.

The importance of being focused and centered in yourself.

Quieting your mind with a walking demonstration.

Being fully in reality.

Q&A

Give assignment

Week 2

-

Keynote presentation of painters and paintings that will and inspire and relate to the days session.

Recorded demo:

The still life as painting subject. Showing how the demo of the previous week relates to the act of painting. I will be discussing my methods and what comes to mind while working during painting pauses.

Q&A

Give assignment

Week 3 -

Keynote presentation of painters and paintings that will and inspire and relate to the days session.

Recorded demo:

Painting a landscape from drawings. The same principles apply from last week but now I will demonstrate how to paint the essence of a landscape through photos and drawings. I will be discussing my methods and what comes to mind while working during painting pauses.

Q&A

Give assignment

Week 4 -

Keynote presentation of painters and paintings that will and inspire and relate to the days session.

Recorded demo:

Painting a landscape from photos. The same principles apply as last weeks session but now I will demonstrate how to paint the essence of a photo, that is; digging out what is essential from the recorded facts. I will be discussing my methods and what comes to mind while working during painting pauses.

Q&A

Give assignment

Course Materials List

I occasionally use brushes, but mostly paper towels, rags and palette knives

But please do use brushes if you prefer to!

I will be painting in oils during the lessons but pastels and acrylics are also fine to use.

Charcoal

Drawing pencils

Sketchbook

Fixative (if using pastel)

OIL PAINTS:

BLUES-

Cobalt blue

Ultramarine blue

Kings blue (Old Holland)

Indigo (Rembrandt)

VIOLETS-

Magenta

Manganese Violet

Dioxazine mauve

GREENS-

Viridian

Pthalo green

Golden green (Old Holland)

REDS-

Alizarine crimson

Quinacridone red

Cadmium red light

Cadmium orange

YELLOWS-

Naples yellow

Cadmium yellow light

Cadmium yellow deep

Cadmium orange

Titanium white (I suggest Rembrandt with safflower oil, not linseed)

SUPPORTS:

Stretched linen or cotton canvas

Dibond

Masonite

Canson mi-tientes pastel paper in a middle grey tone if using pastel

All supports: 10x16, 16x20, 20x24 or larger

SOLVENTS:

When I do use brushes I keep them in walnut oil, wipe them clean and wash them with green soap